HOW TO MANAGE PRODUCTION OF SYNTHETIC FRUIT JUICE

Most
fruit juices we have in the market today are made with synthetic products. This
is because most fruits are not always available all year round. This is because
of non-availability of storage and preservative machineries, materials and
technology and the high cost associated with it.

To
produce a synthetic fruit juice, all you need are basically chemicals that will
stand in place of the natural fruits. The beauty of this technology is that it
taste, smell, look like and has the same aroma with the natural ones. It is
also easy and cheaper to produce, thereby yielding more profit and taking less
time and effort to produce larger quantities.

•Fruit Concentrate or Flavour - This
depends on the kind of fruit juice you wish to produce. For example, if you
wish to produce a mango fruit juice then you will buy a mango concentrate or
flavour. If it is Apple fruit juice you to produce then you will buy an Apple
concentrate or flavours. There are concentrates/flavours for all the existing
known fruits in the world. These concentrates are imported from oversees.
Ensure you buy unadulterated and undiluted concentrates.

·Water
-
Your water must be well treated and totally free from impurities. Therefore, to
produce a good fruit juice, you must have a water treatment plant installed in
your factory. Also your water source must be borehole and not well water. N.B.
We strongly advice that you have a detailed report from our organization on how
well you can go about the business of treating your water to the acceptable
level required by NAFDAC. Cost of Water treatment plant (minimum = N25.000) =
N80.000 (Big one)

•Pasteurizer - Pasteurizing is a process
of partial sterilization,, involving heat treatment or irradiation, so as to
kill most of the micro-organisms present, making it safe for consumption and
improving its keeping quality. The machine

used to accomplish this purpose is known as a
Pasteurizer. This is very important in the production of synthetic fruit juices
making. Cost (minimum = N70.00) = N250.000 (Big one)

·Preservative
- This is a medicine that gives protection from disease or infection on your
fruit juice. It is good to keep your product well preserved to last a time of
time period (shelf life) of two years. To achieve this, we need to add 0.1% of
Sodium benzoate to the total volume of your production. . Cost = N5,000

·Colourant
- There is need to make our product look exactly the colour of its natural
state. Therefore, to achieve this, we need a colourant of the same colour of
the particular fruit juice you wish to produce. For example, orange fruit juice
will need a deep yellow colourant, pineapple fruit juice will need a light
yellow colourant, lemon fruit juice will need a lemon colourant, blackcurrant
fruit juice will need a dark chocolate colourant etc. Cost = N2,000

·Sugar
- To achieve the sweetness that is synonymous with fruit juice, sugar needs to
be added as a sweetener. Sugar will be better than honey in this instance
primarily because of cost. Sugar is cheaper than honey. Your sugar as to be
granulated and also domestic and not industrial sugar. Cost = N5.000

·Supplements
- You may decide to add other supplements to your produce to enhance its health
benefits. Such supplement are vitamins and minerals. This is optional and the
number added depends solely on your choice. Cost = N5.000

·Thickener
- To make your fruit juice thick such that the user will need to dilute it
before drinking, then you need to add a thickener. This thickener increases the
viscosity of your juice. The quantity you choice to add depends on how you want
it to be thick. The name of the thickener to be used is CMC or gelatin. Ensure
you buy the food grade and not industrial grade. However, if you choose to
produce a ready to drink fruit juice, then there would be no need to add a
thickener. Cost = N5.000

·Mixer
- If the fund is there, it is advisable to mix wifn a stainless steel mixer.
However, in the absence of funds, then a long wooden stirrer can be used to
improvise for the mixer. Cost (Minimum = N70,000) = N150,000 (Big one)

·Tetra-pak
filing and sealing machine - This machine automatically fills
your product (fruit juice) into the pack at the quantity you wish (e.g. 200ml
per pack) and equally seals it up. Cost N900,000.00

·In the absence of a tetra-pak machine,
your finished product can be filled manually or mechanically into plastic
containers and packed in cartons.Cost of Plastics to start with = N30.000. Cost
of printed cartons to start with = N20,000

·Labels
- If it is tetra-pak, then the packs would have been printed to specialist
companies before usage. The minimum cost, they do such is N250,000 worth at a
time. However if it is to be filled in a plastic container, then a paper label
can be done with N15,000 only. Note - If you choose to use a polythene label
instead of a paper label, then the cost printing a polythene label with
printing mould from specialist companies is N60,000 (mimuim) at a time.

• Shrink Wrapping Machine - If you choose
to label your product with polythene label, then you will need to buy a shrink
wrapping machine to affix the label on your plastic bottles. The cost of the
smallest shrink wrapping machine is

= N250,000.00

•Heat
Gun
- In the absence of fund for a shrink wrapping machine, a heat gum can be used
to improvise for it. The cost is N15,000

1.Dissolve 10 kg of food grade sugar in 30
litres of treated water. Ensure the water is warm water, about 50°C. This is to
help is easy dissolution of the sugar.

2.Add 1 litre of your fruit concentrate
(Depending on the kind of fruit you want to produce)

3.Mix
very well. You may use a long wooden stirrer or a mechanical mixer.

4.Dissolve 500g of your thickener (CMC or
Gelatin) in 20 litres of water. You do this by pouring the thickener gently and
gradually into the water and be stirring the mixture as you are pouring until
all the thickener is poured into the water. After pouring the thickener, you
will discover that it doesn't dissolve immediately. Therefore, allow to
dissolve completely by leaving it for about 30 minutes. By this time, it would
have fully dissolved. Note — If it is a ready to drink fruit juice you are
making, you will not need a thickener. Therefore you will just add 20 litres of
treated water to No.3 above)

5.Add No. 4 to No. 3 and mix very well

6.Add your colourant. The colourant has to
be food grade water colourant and not either industrial grade or oil colourant.
Oil colourants don't dissolve in water. Also to add your colourant, it has to
be dissolved in water first because they come in powder form. So dissolve you
colourant first in 200mls of water before you add it to NO. 5. There is no
standard measurement for coloourants additions. The colourant is to be added to
taste. That is as much as you want the colour to reflect on the product.
However, do note that it is better not to make the colour to heavy as this may
stain the mouth and tongue of the drinker when it is consumed.

7.Add your mineral and/or vitamins
supplement if you desire to do so. Each pack of minerals and vitamins comes
along with the quantity you are to add to each litter of water as prescribed by
its manufacturer. So check the label for the quantity to add to each litre. It
means that if you are producing a fruit juice of about 52 litres as we are
working on here, you will multiply the prescribed measurement on the label for
each litre by 52 litres.

8.
Add your preservative. Your preservative is Sodium Benzoate. It is to be added
in 0.1% of the total volume of r your production. That means that if your are
working on a 52 litres of fruit juice like we have here, you will add 0.1% of
52 litres. That is 52g. It is measured in grammes because it is not liquid but
solid in it in 500m(s of water before
adding it to your production. You dissolve it by adding the measured sodium
benzoate gradually in 500mls of water and stirring as you are adding it. By the
time you finish adding and you discover that it is not fully dissolved, then
continue mixing until if is fully dissolved. At this point, add it to No. 7

9.Send the total product into your
pasteurizer. Set your pasteurizer to a temperature of 119°C for 20 minutes. Off
the pasteurizer

10.Your product (fruit juice) is ready for
package

11.Pack immediately

12.Ensure you pack into a airtight and water
tight containers.

13.Label and pack into cartons.

14.Keep in a cool dry place. Do not expose to
excess sunlight. Exposure to excess sunlight shortens the shelf life of your
product and colour discolouration to the colourant used.

15.If you choose to pack in a tetrapack, then
you will need to buy a tetrapack filling and sealing machine

Note: For registration of your
product(s) with NAFDAC and its ttendant cost, please do consult us separately
for that.

HOW TO MANAGE PRODUCTION OF SYNTHETIC FRUIT JUICE
Reviewed by Ben Legacy
on
May 23, 2019
Rating: 5